


Lucky Spots and Claws~ Adventures of Ladybeetle and Chat Noire

by zalatawa



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adventures, Angst, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Sin later on;), akuma butt-kicking, cookies for sure, crazy fun times, friendships, genderbend au, genderswapped au, headcanons, ladybeetle/chat noire - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-26 13:47:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6241759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zalatawa/pseuds/zalatawa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tales and adventures of Paris superhero duo- Ladybeetle and Chat Noire.</p>
<p> <br/>Balancing homework, school drama and gathering the courage to say at least one coherent sentence to his crush as an oridinary boy, and rescuing Paris from the evil Hawkmoth and her akumas inbetween as Ladybeetle- life was hectic enough for  Marin Dupain-Cheng.<br/> <br/>For Adrienne Agreste, she was used to a busy day full of appointments, events and photo shoots- easily taking her duties as Chat Noire in stride. Especially when that meant taking down villains with the incredible Ladybeetle as her partner. Life was just as busy and full for her.</p>
<p> <br/>Together the miraculous team protect Paris and save the day, and try to get through all the curveballs of life while keeping their identies secret. From dealing with school bullies and having fun with friends, to pleasing their families and pursuing their passions, and to having quite the adventures as Ladybeetle and Chat Noire- Marin and Adrienne chase each other through all the good and bad.</p>
<p>Miraculous and lucky, but who said leading double lives was easy?</p>
<p> <br/>~~~ON HIATUS DUE TO PRIORITIES AND LIFE sorry^^; ~~~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Simple Double-Lives

**Author's Note:**

  * For [taylortot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylortot/gifts), [Yaushibee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yaushibee/gifts).



> Hi! I really hope this turns out a worthy read and a fun way to get through all the feels and wait for more Miraculous Ladybug!  
> Genderbend Marinette and Adrien AU- Marin and Adrienne as Ladybeetle and Chat Noire! This will be kind of a collection of adventures and fun things that these two would go through in a genderswapped ML.
> 
> I have a general direction in taking this, LOTS of fluff, funny moments, even headcanons (I'll stay as true as one can to the world). Possibly angst... So yes, FEELS! I was inspired to write this out after reading Heartstrings and rediscovered fanfiction. And because of yaushie's amazing genderbend fanart on tumblr, along with starrycove and many other artists!!! (check them out for their amazing content:D)  
> Already I am super excited for this and I hope you'll enjoy it!  
> Happy reading and thank you so much^^ 
> 
> ~Z:) 
> 
> (BTW: I made an ML trash blog @chatnoirtrashgirl, because obviously, LB and CN trash here.- come CHAT with me if you have certain ideas or just anything about our lovely Ladybug and Chat Noir:3)

Lucky Spots and Claws

 

**Chapter 1**  
**Simple Double-Lives**

Marin’s luck was bad as it was. He didn’t think it could have gotten any worse.  
Oh how wrong he was.  
  
It turned out not only was he always tripping on the flattest surfaces, spilling things with the slightest touch, and practically being a complete klutz in any proximity- he was responsible for the protection of an entire city. And not just any city, but one of the most populated- Paris.  
  
He, Marin Dupain-Cheng, was believe it or not- Ladybeetle. Superhero in red and black, protector of Paris with his partner Chat Noire. He wasn’t sure if he did sometimes.  
  
“Great- I, Marin, am not only making a mess of things in my clumsiness, but I’ve been doing that at the same time as saving Paris,” he sighed half-heartedly as he leaned against the railings of his terrace.  
  
“Oh Marin- you’ve been doing this for months now! You’re a great superhero!” Tikki exclaimed from his shoulder. His kwami chewed on a cookie while giving him an encouraging look.  
  
He only slumped down a bit, watching as the sun dipped past the skyline of the cityscape. There was barely a trace of that dark smoke, the skyline clear compared to earlier today. The sky drew into the deep blue of spring, just as the city lit up. Living up to its name as the city of lights, Paris glowed with its streets, cafes and shops, and most prominently the Eiffel Tower.  
  
Tikki patted Marin’s shoulder, “You did amazing- every time you’re Ladybeetle! Who saved the city from Hawkmoth’s akumas?”  
  
Marin shrugged, “Well, Chat Noire and me.”  
  
“And who rescued and helped the victims and citizens even when it wasn’t an akuma?”  
  
“We did.”  
  
Tikki nodded before she floated in front of his face, “Yes, but who caught the akumas and freed the city?”  
  
“I did,” he answered with a slight smile.  
  
“Who rescues Paris and keeps Chat Noire from getting herself in serious trouble?”  
  
Marin chuckled, “I do.”  
  
Tikki giggled, “Yes. And who is the superhero of Paris? The one who was chosen to use the miraculous for good?”  
  
He confidently answers, absently touching the earrings on either side of his head, “I am!”  
  
“Yes, Marin! You’re the hero and it doesn’t matter if you make mistakes. Just because you had a bad slipup today- you still did fine.”  
  
At that, Marin cringed at the memory of what happened earlier today. He’s almost used to being embarrassed because of his clumsiness. But, oh how could he have messed up like that as Ladybeetle? In front of Chat Noire, his trusted partner, and all of Paris- their hero? What kind of hero accidently sets a building on fire?  
  
“Oh no, Tikki!” he moaned and slid despondently on the floor. “Ladybeetle is brave and confident- he’s perfect and careful! That boy who set the hotel on fire was me- Marin!”  
  
“I was distracted and hadn’t focused on my task- wasting the lucky charm and having to retreat. I left Le Grande Paris on fire with Chat having to fix my mess. She did the cleaning after another disastrous rescue by Ladybeetle!”  
  
He gave a bitter bark of a laugh at his last remark, before thunking his head back against the railing, “I didn’t even go back to school afterwards- I just hope Chat doesn’t have a sore throat from that smoke…”  
  
Tikki frowned, “No, Marin. Nobody got hurt and you went right back to fight. It was the Smoke-Man’s fault- the fired cook had been akumatized by Hawkmoth- no one could blame you for that. The situation did get a bit out of hand- but that’s why you and Chat Noire are such a good team! You were still the heroes by the end of the day!”  
  
“I guess… the fire was only in the restaurant section of the hotel and quick thinking by Chat soaked it. And we did catch the akuma… I guess things did end up fine.”  
  
Tikki then added sarcastically, “And Chat was okay- fine enough to continue her flirting.” That earned her a light chuckle from him as he sat straighter.  
  
“Yes! Stay positive, Marin! You are Ladybeetle and you always get the job done- there’s no need to beat yourself on the slightest slip-up.”  
  
Marin smiled slightly and stretched his legs, “I guess so, Tikki. Heck- you’re right! I may still have my bad luck, but you’ve been my lucky charm.”  
  
The little fairy smiled brightly and flashed up to him with a tiny hug. He laughed, finally feeling better now, “Thanks, Tikki. I don’t know where I’d be without you.”  
  
“Probably doing your homework,” she reminded him.  
  
He replied with a groan, but couldn’t help but grin as he descended down to his bedroom. But as soon as he dropped down near his desk, he let out a sigh as he took in the homework and class assignments he needed to complete. Not to mention the projects he’d neglected to start.  
  
“Looks like I’m in for a long night.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Adrienne finally stepped out of the bathroom, steam rolling behind her as she finished brushing the last of damp hair. The lights in her room were automatically lit as soon as the day had darkened, the evening showing behind her windows.  
  
“Finally,” she sighed, “It had taken so long to get all that ash and soot out of my hair and pores.” Her skin was pink from the scrubbing and her hair returned to its smooth blonde waves.  
  
“It sure did, princess,” Plagg acknowledged her from his perch on an almost empty tower set of plates. “You were so filthy- you definitely looked the part of a black cat with your face all smudged.”  
  
Her kwami reached for another slice of smelly Camembert. Rolling her eyes, she tapped on her desktop- all the screens lighting up. She started humming to herself as she pulled her hair into a neat bun on top of her head.  
  
“You know- that definitely did get pretty messy. Goodness, who knew smoke could turn everything so dirty.”  
  
“Yup, just like who would have expected Ladybeetle’s fantastic mistake.”  
  
At his name, Adrienne’s stomach fluttered. “Wait- what mistake?”  
  
Plagg answered around a mouth of cheese, “He almost screwed everything when he practically helped Smokey set the place on fire.”  
  
“No!” she spun in her chair with a shout, “He didn’t! It was a simple slip- how would anyone have known that lucky charm could have set the curtains on fire…”  
  
The cat kwami turned to her, “How can you not know that using a flammable spray could catch on fire?”  
  
“But… there was no actual fire before! How then would that happen?”  
  
“Oh- don’t forget that using his yo-yo he made a spark.”  
  
She sucked on her tooth and uncrossed her arms, but still wearing a defiant expression. Uh the flames did spread onto the table tops and anything close enough to burn… but she was fast and got the fire extinguisher, since the sprinklers were shut down by Smoke-Man. And there was already so much smoke; it had billowed out around the city anyways… Ladybeetle also came back as soon as his transformation held, by then he quickly took out Smoke Man in a flash and captured the akuma.  
  
“It was an accident. It all happened too fast,” Adrienne insisted, “Besides, we got it all cleared up fast. And using his miraculous- everything went back to its perfect state!”  
  
“And you were heroes at the end of the day,” Plagg sniffed.  
  
“Of course!”  
  
He snorted and said in a low voice, “Of course- you would think him Mr. Perfect even so.”  
  
At that, she glared daggers at her kwami. She would have replied to let him know what she thought of him, but calmly turned back to her screen. It was true, though- mistakes happen, but Ladybeetle always made to fix his.  
  
Although she did recall him being rather a bit upset about it afterwards. But her heart sprung- he had been super sweet to her before he dashed off. He was concerned about her and even tried to help get some of the dusty grime off her face.  
  
She grinned to herself as she surfed through LadyBlog- checking out the newest updates from Alim. Several were picture shots of Ladybeetle and her, others of the smoke and the poor akumatized lower chef who had gotten fired. And interestingly enough- no one remarked that Ladybeetle had made anything worse.  
  
_Because it’s true. Why would anyone think or say anything against him? He did great, and I know that even with him being self-conscious about it sometimes. Besides, mistakes are mistakes._  
  
Adrienne had just grabbed her phone, guiltily not surprised to see messages from Nina filling the screen. She quickly clicked to call her best friend back while getting ready to start on her homework.  
  
“Eyy, girl! Took you long enough to get back to me,” Nina answered.  
  
Adrienne laughed, “Sorry, I had to get refreshed after my photo shoot- I caught some of that smoke from La Grande Paris over me.”  
  
“Oh! You were nearby? Crazy huh?”  
  
“Yeah, you got all the news?”  
  
“Of course I did. Alim was practically screaming to me on the phone as he was uploading his stuff.”  
  
She giggled, “He’s always so excited about them, but where would we be without a reliable source?”  
  
“Likely enjoying our lives without that boy gushing over Ladybeetle and Chat Noire every moment. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if he has some kind of crush on our polka-dotted superhero.”  
  
Adrienne blushed and giggled nervously; glad she hadn’t turned the screen chat on. “Uh, anyways- thanks for sending me the homework. I need to get all of this done.”  
  
Nina laughed on the other end, “Of course, Adri. Where would you be without me?”  
  
“Getting started on my homework,” she grinned.  
  
“Har har- like you’d have any done on time with leaving school early. Good luck, coz that’s a pretty challenging assignment.”  
  
Adrienne shrugged as she looked through, “I’ll do fine. Besides, I have you to ask for help. Right?”  
  
“Actually you have Google- I have my free time to enjoy, not tutoring.”  
  
“Fiine,” she laughed, “talk to you later.”  
  
“Ttyl, dudette!”  
  
With that, she hung up and sighed contently. “Plagg, would you say it was a good day? For Adrienne- yes. For Chat Noire- a yes as well.”  
  
She twisted her comfy chair around, “Plagg?”  
  
Her cat kwami was unsurprisingly snoring on his plate. Adrienne smiled fondly, before suppressing a yawn. She better get on with her homework before she fell asleep in her chair, at least she was wearing her pajamas already.

 


	2. A Little Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally a clear afternoon and a little fun. Some Adrienne/Marin feels (I'm still trying to figure out their ship name lol)
> 
> *Update- It's official, they are MARINENNE this fluffpacked ship sails!!

“Marin! You’re going to be late!” Mrs. Dupain-Cheng called from downstairs. 

“Again,” huffed Tikki as she watched him dash around his room and grabbing his things. It was no surprise that he overslept but he might be able to make it if he rushed out now. 

“I know, I know! Just a sec, Maman!” he answered as he finally got his satchel, almost tripping down his trapdoor without Tikki. The little kwami quickly hid in his bag as he clambered down the stairs. 

His lunch paper bag was placed on the table, right by his way in order not to forget it. He swung open the apartment door and made to leave through the bakery, but quickly retraced his steps backwards. 

“Marin!” Tikki scolded as he paused in front of the mirror in the hall to check his appearance. He grinned, glad that he had made time to dress properly and brushed his hair.

“Bye Maman, Papa!” he called as he jumped down the last steps and past the cash register, barely side-stepping a startled customer. “Pardon, M. Gibson!” 

The bell rang loudly as he ran out from the bakery front, leaving behind the warm smell of buttery bread and dough. By the time he made it to the steps of Collège Françoise Dupont- he had almost got run over twice, upset a lot of pedestrians, and was panting like a mad man. 

“Maybe next time, you wouldn’t take such a sweet time dressing?” Tikki’s chiding voice came muffled from her hiding place. 

Marin rolled his eyes- he couldn’t help putting effort with his clothes. He usually had his outfit picked out by the night before, except of course he had fallen asleep halfway through a project. 

And besides, she can’t see me looking like slop. 

“Hey, Marin!” 

Pushing his bangs a bit out his eyes, Marin smiled as his best friend approached him at the top of the steps. 

“For once you made it before-” the bell rang interrupting Alim’s remark. “Nevermind.” 

Marin groaned, “Hey, this is good considering I just got dressed like five minutes ago.” 

Alim laughed, pushing Marin in front of him through the school doors. Students were already moving like herds toward their classrooms, and the boys joined several of their classmates to the second floor. 

“Dude, when are you going to get to bed early?” Alim raised his eyebrow before slipping out his phone- the ladybug charm catching Marin’s attention for a second. 

“Uhh, you know how busy I’ve been. I’m like drowning in piles of homework,” he shook his head. 

“Well, I wouldn’t know. Since I have no idea what’s been keeping you so busy.” 

_Fighting akumas, keeping Hawkmoth from getting the Miraculous and of course day-to-day crime-fighting in Paris. Pretty much saving the city and the world from villains._

“Helping out in the bakery… and stuff. And oh, thanks for sending the homework from yesterday.” 

They entered Mr. Bustier’s classroom and slid into their seats, Marin taking note of her not being there. _Is she going to be here today?_

“Sure, man. But seriously, did you ditch school or-?” 

“No!” Marin replied a little too loudly, “I mean, I wasn’t feeling good at all. Terrible headache and sore throat.” That was half true. 

Alim raised another eyebrow, before adjusting his glasses, “Okay. You just seemed fine earlier in the day. Are you sure you’re okay right now?” 

He leaned a little closer with a mocking scrutinizing stare, making Marin laugh as he leaned away. “Yeah, I am better! I did finish lots of homework last night, though.  
“And hey,” he quickly thought up of a subject change, “I heard about another Ladybeetle appearance.” 

At that remark, his best friend’s eyes lit up and he sat up straighter with a grin- already his phone was open to the LadyBlog. 

“Oh yes! He fought off another villain- yesterday around our lunch break actually- at the La Grande Paris. I got some cool pics of him and Chat Noire getting to the scene! Guess who they were fighting-” 

“That filthy Smoke-Man, one of my mother's undercooks,” a sneer interrupted them. 

They both tensed. Marin forced his face to stay calm, Alim’s expression replaced with a glare. “Yes, a cook who was fired by _your_ mother.” 

Turning to meet the one and only person Marin had the real terrible displeasure of meeting in his life; he wished the damn bell would ring. Cleo Bourgeois stood with his hands on hips and wearing that infamous superficial expression as he looked down his nose at Marin and Alim. And just behind him, his loyal lackey Sebastian stood holding Cleo’s stuff while trying to give them an intimidating look. 

“Aren’t you a bit far from your seat,” Marin pointed to the first row down to the right. Cleo simply ignored that remark, continuing his exchange with Alim. 

“What do you mean by _that_? The cook burned the main course and our lunch, what did you expect my mother to do? Give him a gold star and maybe a raise?!” 

“All I meant was that you had it coming for firing someone on an accident. I don’t think anyone was surprised in him being akumatized,” Alim distastefully replied. 

“Really? Do you have any idea on how business works? Saying that about my mother- the mayor- like she doesn’t know how to deal with an issue in her establishment!” Cleo then sniffed, “Considering that _your_ mother works there too.” 

At that Alim shot up, slapping his hands on the desk. “What do you mean by that!?” 

Before Marin could stand up and defend his friend, the school bell rang again- announcing the start for classes. Mr. Bustier walked in, his eyes quickly caught on to the stance of the boys. 

“Is something wrong, boys? To your seats- I’m quite sure the bell had been heard by you. Otherwise, I suggest heading to the nurse and checking your ears.” 

His stern look broke up the tension, Cleo giving them one last glare before sauntering back to his seat with Sebastian close behind. 

Alim bitterly sat back down, his glee from earlier gone. Marin really wanted to smash Cleo's sneer into a wall right now, but he resorted to clenching his hands.  
“Good morning, Monsieur.” 

And just like that, her light voice carried to him and everything he was thinking and feeling dissipated. She had just entered, her golden hair pulled up into a ponytail, bouncing as she made to her seat with Nina. 

“Good morning to you, Miss Agreste. Ladies, take your seat please.” 

Nina and Adrienne slid into their seats, both giving Alim a quick hello. 

“Hey.”

For one flustered moment, Marin realized that she had directed one of her sunshine smiles at _him_. He blinked, his eyes wide as his mouth moved without making any words fully formed. 

“Hi!” he finally squeaked when Alim gave him a kick from under the desk. Adrienne gave him a slightly confused smile, making his racing heart almost shoot up his throat. So naturally, he ducked down to take out his things- hiding really- and hitting his head on the way down. 

Marin’s face was red as Ladybeetle’s suit at this point. By the time he resurfaced, the morning broadcast was almost done and his face only a bit pink after an encouraging reassurance from Tikki in her secret pocket space. 

“Nice,” Alim told him quietly as the broadcast ended. 

Marin put his face into his hands with an inward groan. Class began and he found himself admiring the back of Adrienne’s glossy hair. He half-heartedly sighed, _as I always and only will._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You are coming, right?” 

Adrienne tilted her head to the side, “I don’t think I can, Cleo, you know how busy-” 

“But you have to come! You must have some free time?” Cleo groaned as he dramatically slouched on the bench, having come back early during the lunch break, “It’s so dreadfully boring these days!”

Adrienne hadn’t hung out with him in a while now, especially with her schedule. And the fact that she spent her free time as Chat Noire. 

“I know, I know. Your mom’s meetings take forever and you want to pass the time.” 

“And we haven’t done anything together in weeks. So you have to come with me today. I am going shopping, and we do love to do that together.” He gave her a pointed look, as if it was obvious that she should be convinced already. 

She pursed her lips, she already made a promise to Nina to do something once her schedule was free. Adrienne was feeling guilty knowing that actually, today, her fencing class was cancelled. It meant she had the rest of the day free without any other events or gigs, though she only wanted to spend in one way: as Chat Noire. 

“But I really don’t want to go shopping, today.” 

“So you’re free?” he caught on really quick. 

“No, not really,” she shrugged with a straight face. 

“Oh come on, Adrienne!” he sighed, “I’m all alone and so bored.” 

She raised an eyebrow, looking directly at Sebastian who was hovering unconcerned behind Cleo’s shoulders. “Alone? Haven’t you had Sebastian to hang out with?”

Cleo rolled his eyes, “Yes, but I want you to come with me. Besides, I’ve been stuck with him for too long these days.”

“No offense, Sebastian,” Adrienne apologized for her friend with a sympathetic glance. 

 

“None taken,” the boy obliviously smiled, “You should come. It will be fun and good use for your time.” 

Cleo immediately nodded and repeated, “It will be fun and a good use for your time.”

Adrienne thoughtfully shrugged, “Really, I’ll see how things are after school and maybe we can set-”

“Great, we can go in my ride once class is over. I would suggest us leaving now, but you are missing enough of school time as is and I am a very considerate friend,” he shot up and winked at her, “Don’t be late!” 

With his flashy sunglasses and a hand pulling back his sleeked hair, Cleo sashayed away with Sebastian at his heels. 

Adrienne shook her head, could she really ditch him? No, she wasn’t that kind of friend. He was her oldest friend since childhood, despite what people may think of him. 

“Good! Flashy and his door mat finally left,” Nina plopped down besides Adrienne. Her headphones as always were snugly hanging around her neck and her cap worn backwards at the moment. 

Adrienne bit her lip, holding back a giggle. “Nina, be nice.” 

“Nice?” her expression exasperated, “To that douchebag? His name and that word can’t even be spoken in the same sentence.” 

“And yet sometimes, you two are dramatically alike,” she gave her a raised eyebrow. 

“Excuse me, but I don't tolerate such comparison. I’d always throw my lot with Alim and Marin- heck everyone else- then with him.” 

Adrienne mockingly let out a frustrated sigh as she pulled out her phone. She had been checking it every few minutes. No calls or texts from Nathan for rescheduling. No changes of plans or anything that could dissolve her free day. 

Nina’s eyes widened, as she glanced at Adrienne’s screen. A knowing grin spread across her face as she grabbed Adrienne’s shoulder, “You have a free day!” 

She then continued to dramatically stand up and give her best friend a shake, “You have a free day!!!” 

Adrienne laughed, “Calm down. It’s not like I’m an overworked, full-time model.” 

“Yes you are,” Nina have her an indignant look. 

“Okay, I do have a free day. Fencing got cancelled and I don’t have Chinese or any other class or activity. My schedule today until evening is clear,” she smiled.

“Yes! Finally!” Nina pumped her hand in the hair, “Girl, I have got these plans planned for when an unplanned free day comes for us.” 

“Really?”

Nina nodded vigorously, her posture serious, “Right after school, you and I are going to hit the streets of Paris for some fun-quality-teenage freedom!!" 

"And what is that?" Adrienne giggled, slinging her sports bag onto her shoulder and standing up. 

“It means hanging out pretty much in one of the most cultured cities in the world, my young Padawan,” Nina threw an arm around her best friend’s shoulder. 

They waved by at Alim and Marin who had just came back from their lunch, Marin seeming too nervous to actually move his arm. But the girls continued toward the stairs up to the classroom, Nina shaking her head. “That boy,” she muttered, leaving Adrienne a bit clueless on her meaning. 

And just as they skipped up to their class, Adrienne’s smile twisted to one side, her shoulders slumping. “Uhh, Nina. Cleo kind of invited me to go shopping today after school…” 

Nina narrowed her eyes, “But you said you can’t go, right?” 

“I said I wasn’t sure, but you know Cleo,” she sheepishly shrugged, “He pretty much took that as a yes.” 

“Ughh,” Nina groaned, “Okay, do you want to go with him in some everyday shopping spree or come with me and have some real actual fun?” 

“When you say it like that, it makes it rather unfair-”

“Well, do you want to spend your _free day_ with him or rather with your awesome best friend who will without a doubt give you an amazing day?” 

“ _Nina_ ,” Adrienne rolled her eyes but ended up laughing. “Fine. I do want to hang out with you and I did promise you first. But we’ll have to see how he takes it. You know how he is.” 

“Yeah, yeah. I unfortunately do,” she answered with an exasperated sigh and roll of her own eyes. They slid into their seats in the front row; being the first to settle in as the bell rang, calling everyone back from lunch. Adrienne couldn’t help but feel excited looking forward to after school. 

Although she did guiltily sit straighter as Cleo entered the class. He smiled at her, and quickly took his seat from across the aisle, his body facing her. 

Nina gave her a raised eyebrow and a nudge, Adrienne agreeing on getting it over with before class started. 

“Cleo-”

“Yes, yes, I know the best shops to go to today,” he began like they were continuing on a conversation, “Several new trending lines are being released today- some you’ve modeled for sure. And we’re bound to get all the hottest outfits and accessories. Particularly since the new season is starting- we need some new stylish coats and-”

“Cleo, I don’t think I can go with you today.” 

His eyes snapped to her, a frown taking over his good mood. 

“Why? You do have a free afternoon, right?” 

“Yes, but-”

“Then what’s the problem?” he narrowed his eyes, Sebastian behind him crossing his arms. 

“There is no problem. She’s just coming with me,” Nina answered nonchalantly. 

Cleo abruptly got out of his seat and leaned against their desk. He blocked the aisle, giving Kim a glare when the tall girl tried to pass and making her take the long way to her seat. 

“Why would she go with you instead of me?” 

“Because first, she’ll have fun. Second, I’m her best friend. Third, you’re a-”

Adrienne quickly cut off Nina before she finished, “I promised her weeks ago. Sorry, Cleo, but I had already given her my word that I would spend my time with her once I was free. I was trying to tell you that earlier.” 

His lips were thin and he aimed his glare at Nina, “So? You don’t have to!” 

“Yes I do.”  
Cleo then turned to Adrienne with an almost outraged expression, but of course only Adrienne was able to see the hurt in his face. 

“Yes I do, Cle,” she hoped pleading with his nickname would help, “A promise is a promise. Just like I’m promising you that I will make it up to you.” 

He crossed his arms, not yet accepting defeat. 

“Come on, Cle-”

“Yeah, Cleo. No need to be a spoil sport. You guys can go hangout at some freakin’ cocktail party or one of those fancy outings soon anyways.” 

“But she already hangs out with you during school, since after all her mother doesn’t approve of you anytime else.” 

“Cleo!” Adrienne gave his shoulder a light push. 

“It’s true!” he then latched onto her arm, “And that is good enough reason why she should come with me!” 

“Hell no, boy!” Nina grabbed Adrienne’s other arm. 

“Whoa, whoa guys!” she stood up, trying to pull back her limbs from them. 

“She’s coming with me,” Cleo jerked her to him. 

Nina did an equally strong pull back to her, “My home girl is coming with me, you mean!” 

“No!” 

“Yes!” 

“Guys!” Adrienne tried to peacefully make them break it up. She was worried they’d attack each other if they weren’t using her as middle ground. 

However, she didn’t like this tugging back and forth either. They jostled her between the aisle of the desks, yelling louder as they argued. Everyone in the class had arrived, watching the whole ordeal. 

“Stop!” Adrienne finally yelled, her face set in an exasperated expression. “Quit it, I am not playing this tug-of-war with you two!” 

Nina was the first to drop her arm, quick apologies falling from her lips. Cleo still held Adrienne’s arm, though looser. He finally let his hand fall but he still wore his defiant look. 

“Sorry,” he said, “But I still think-”

“Leave her alone.” 

Adrienne suddenly turned to see Marin angrily looking at Cleo, Alim patting Nina’s shoulder. 

“It’s her choice. She doesn’t have to go with you, Cleo. Or Nina either.” 

The boy stood bold in one of those rare moments he did around Adrienne. His voice was assertive, his hands holding the shoulder strap of his satchel tightly.

Cleo had clenched his teeth, his mouth opening to return a retort, but Adrienne quickly grasped his elbow. “Please, Cleo. I’m really sorry I can’t go. But I will for sure make it up to you. You know I always do.” 

She tilted her head to the side and looked earnestly up at him, meaning her every word. At this, Cleo relented with crossed arms. 

“Fine.” 

She immediately smiled, “Thank you!” 

Adrienne threw her arms around him, in which he sighed and dropped his defiant look. 

“You still owe me and I want my favor paid soon.” 

“I promise,” she only smiled, happily taking her seat now that things were resolved. The bell rang and everyone else followed suit. Before Mr. Bustier could begin class, Adrienne turned around to look behind her. 

Marin was taking out his tablet and textbook, when she caught his eye. He immediately blushed.

“Thank you for that, Marin,” she grinned at him sweetly. 

He stammered, his face turning slightly pinker, “Uh, yeah- of c-course.” 

She could tell he wanted to say more, but by then his mouth had stamped shut. Not wanting to make him even more uncomfortable, she nodded at him before turning away.

Adrienne knew he was often an active and confident person around others. She’d seen how expressive he was with other people like Alim and Nina. And how bold, just like now, he stood up to Cleo. She had only glimpsed this sassy, creative and rather sweet Marin, but had never actually interacted with that side of him. 

Was she still so intimidating even after so long of being a part of this class? She guessed it had to do with her status and her popularity as a model, and maybe other factors? They’d hung out several times, and it seemed it like they made some progress. But even now, it was hard to get him to talk to her past several sentences. Adrienne really wished that’s they would bond a little more, she hated having him feel uncomfortable around her. 

Shrugging it off, she tried to listen and catch on with what their class lesson was for today. But her focus was pulled as Nina poked her shoulder, giving a questioning look.  
_We are hanging out after school?_ She mouthed. 

Adrienne smiled and nodded reassuring. She resisted a laugh as her best friend pumped her fist, and stuck her tongue out past Adrienne at Cleo.  
He raised his chin up, refusing to acknowledge Nina. 

Excited once again, Adrienne was glad to have her afternoon planned for something she actually wanted to do. And certain to be fun.  
Instead of focusing on the history lesson, her mind wandered again. Maybe she’ll see Ladybeetle… 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marin almost dropped the fresh tray of hot biscuits that his father handed to him. 

“Careful,” his father’s laugh boomed, the large baker clapping his son’s shoulder, further making him almost slip the tray. 

“Papa!” Marin chuckled as he gingerly went to put them into the display case where they would stay warm. 

He was quietly humming to himself, Tikki hiding right now in the pocket of his apron since Alim was getting started on some homework in his bedroom upstairs.

“You're in a good mood,” the kwami smiled up at him as his father disappeared into the back of the bakery. 

He shrugged, not able to resist his smile widening at the thought of school earlier.

Adrienne had thanked him. She had smiled at him. _Seven times today!_

Tikki giggled before asking knowingly, “How many times?”

“Seven,” he grinned, “That’s like one of the luckiest numbers!” 

“Adrienne smiled at you seven times and you’re practically beaming. Will you be bouncing if she did 13 times?” 

Marin laughed as he began sweeping crumbs and some sugar powder from behind the counter, “Isn’t that an unlucky number? But even then, I would be happy to receive that many beautiful smiles from her.” 

“And if she smiled at you all day?” she teased. 

Marin leaned against his broom, sighing delightfully at the thought before answering in a singsong voice, “I’d be floating higher than Ladybeetle.” 

“Floating higher than whom?” 

Tikki ducked quickly back into the apron pocket as his father returned carrying a basket of fresh baguettes. 

“Uh, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t remember the exact words- some Jagged Crystal song lyrics.” 

“Hmm, haven’t heard that one from you. Just don’t have her songs blaring on in the bakery with customers here,” his father chuckled. 

“I know, Papa. I don’t have the ears to listen to Madam Laura complain about the music.” 

“Considering that she speaks louder than it.” 

“Papa! You know Maman doesn’t approve of talk about our customers,” Marin grinned. 

“What me? You know I respect my customers and local neighbors… besides, your maman is shopping for groceries, and she’s not here.” 

At that, they both began laughing. It was a nice afternoon and they had a slow stream of customers- which Marin didn’t mind for he was allowed to dwell on Adrienne. He was still a bit mad at Cleo. When wasn't he really, but today it had really set Marin off right then when Cleo was trying to force her into going with him. He wondered where Nina was going to drag her best friend off to anyway. 

The bell at the bakery door chimed, Mr. Dupain-Cheng smiling as he greeted the recent visitors. But the loud clamber of steps and panting made Marin stand up from under organizing the lower shelves of the glass display counter. 

“Hiya!... Mr. Dupain!... I hope-you don’t- mind us… us intruding!” Nina panted with her hands on her knees. Besides her, looking much better off, Adrienne barely needed to gasp for air. Athletic she was, her hair loosely held in a ponytail and her face a bit pink from her exertion.

“Of course not, Nina. Are the two of you okay?” Mr. Dupain-Cheng asked concerned. 

“Yes, we are. Thank you, sir,” Adrienne easily answered, allowing Nina to catch her breath. “Just a bit of a run from the school to here.”  
She then looked at Marin and smiled, “Hi.” 

“Hey,” Marin somehow managed a direct answer this time. But he couldn’t manage to hold her gaze or further their interaction before ducking back down behind the counter, hitting his head for the second time today on the way. He busied himself trying to finish his work, his heart pounding.

He peeked up through the glass case; Adrienne was looking around appreciatively at the baked goods.

“How can I help you today, girls?” his father thankfully took charge. 

Nina poked her head over the counter, looking down at Marin. “If you don’t mind, we actually came to see Marin and Alim. Where is he anyways?”  
“He’s upstairs,” Marin smiled up at her. 

“In that case,” his father nodded at him, “Go ahead and take your friends up. I’ll finish here, you can take a break.”  
“Sure, papa,” he moved to lead them toward the back. 

“Thank you, Mr. Dupain-Cheng!” Nina and Adrienne smiled as they followed Marin behind the counter. 

"So, what were you running for?" he casually asked Nina as he led them through the back door and up the staircase to the flat upstairs. He was hyper aware of Adrienne behind me. 

"Actually more like running from," Adrienne grinned as they walked into the apartment. 

Nina sighed with dramatic exhaustion before dumping her backpack on the floor and bounding over the couch. Until she was comfortably lying down did she elaborate. 

"We were trying to ditch Cleo. I think he wanted to tag along, since we saw his limo was still out front after school. We waited like, an hour, but he was still there. I figured if we made a run for it, we'd get away." 

Alim laughed as he appeared from up the stairs leading to Marin's room. "So you guys came here, the one place you were sure he wouldn't come near."  
“Obviously. I’ve never seen him within 10 meters of Marin’s house.” 

Marin walked around to the kitchen, shrugging "Well he may hate me, but he's missing out from the best bakery in Paris." 

Nina snickered as Alim joined her on the couch. Adrienne sat besides them on the adjoining settee, her eyes roving the apartment. Nina and Alim were very familiar of Marin's house, it was practically Alim's second home. But for Adrienne, she's been here only a few times and yet always seemed so curious about the cozy, furnished home of the Dupain-Chengs. 

"Uh, you guys want something to drink?" Marin nervously asked as Adrienne turned to him.

"Yes, please. Whatever you have," she answered with one of her warm smiles. Marin's insides were doing some strange fluttering. 

"Dude, yes!” Nina waved at him, “Water or some of that rockin’ berry juice your mom makes!” 

Marin grinned as he grabbed some glasses and checked the refrigerator. “Sorry, Nina. My mom hadn’t blended any. We do have some store-bought fruit punch.” 

“Aww, that’s cool though. I’ll have that. Where is Mrs. D-Cheng anywho?” 

“She’s out,” Alim answered as he got up to assist Marin. There was a plate of chocolate-chip cookies which he grabbed as Marin filled up four cups of fruit punch. 

Alim took the plate of cookies, giving his best friend an encouraging wink as he left him to carry the drinks. Marin felt himself blush as he tried to walk normally toward Adrienne. _Don’t be a klutz, don’t be a klutz._

“So, what were you guys planning on doing today anyways?” Alim asked. 

Adrienne visibly perked up as the plate was placed in front of her on the coffee table, eagerly taking a cookie. Marin placed the tray of drinks on the table, making to hand the glasses out. Just as he grabbed one, Adrienne had reached for the same one closest to her. 

“Sorry!” they both blurted as their hands brushed. Both of them slightly jumping, Marin almost spilling the rest of the drinks in his overactive nerves. Nina and Alim exchanged a knowing look as their friends shyly apologized. 

“Thank you,” Adrienne carefully held her own glass, smiling apologetically at Marin. 

He meekly nodded, trying to fight the blush climbing up his neck. When he handed the cups to the other two, he stood awkwardly as he took his. 

Nina then grinned up at him as she moved into a sitting position, “Are you wearing an apron?” 

She then began laughing, Alim joining her. Adrienne giggled, “It’s cute.”

At this, Marin’s shoulders touched his ears, his face burned slightly from the teasing, and more from her words. He retreated behind the kitchen counter, tossing the apron quickly off. 

He had almost forgotten his kwami was hiding in the apron, but Tikki had quickly flown out and into the side pocket of his pants. Lucky that his jeans had such deep pockets.

“Well,” Adrienne continued on the conversation, “Nina had plans for what we’d do. I still don’t know what?” She grinned at her best friend, before munching on another cookie.

“Cool, so what were you planning?” Alim glanced at his girlfriend. 

“Uh…” 

They all looked at Nina, who looked a bit stumped. 

“What?” Adrienne and Alim asked. 

“Well… thing is. The plans I had weren’t meant for this time of the year.” 

“What do you mean?” Adrienne asked bemused. 

“Okay, I kinda planned the perfect day out for us to hang around the Christmas season…” she sheepishly smiled. 

The room dropping into a quiet as they all stared at her.

“Wait. You thought my next free day would be around _Christmas time_?” Adrienne cocked her head. 

“Yeah, sorta. Because you know, by then even you would have to be given a break from your busy schedule during that time of the year.” 

Alim burst out laughing, Adrienne gaping at Nina with an exasperated expression. 

“Seriously Nina?” she finally said, then began laughing as she shook her head. 

Marin grinned, “Nina, talk about little faith.” 

“What? Her mother has her working like some employee- an overworked employee!” Nina shrugged before chuckling, “You couldn’t expect me not to have thought that way.” 

“Oh fine,” Adrienne shook her head with an amused smile, “So you actually have no plans for us?” 

“Uh, I don’t.” 

Alim set down his drink, pushing back his glasses with a smile, “I might have some suggestions.” 

“Shoot, my good man,” Nina smiled at him, “I’m not sure what would be cool to do anyways.”

“There is the fairs and events for the Autumn Festival since it is now the season.”

Adrienne nodded, “Oh yeah. We could do that.” 

“Or you guys could go to the monuments, we do live in Paris,” Marin smiled. 

“The Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes,” Adrienne said before continuing with another cookie. 

“Nah, not the zoo. Or the Louvre and like monuments or parks and gardens- we can see those whenever. I want to do something really fun today,” Nina tapped her glasses. 

“Well, there are also the cinemas. We have a theatre at almost every block,” Alim thoughtfully brought up. 

“Disneyland?” Marin shrugged with a grin. 

Adrienne’s face lit up at the suggestion, but Nina shook her head. 

“Sorry, girl. My pass is expired and we don’t have that long to spend. We should go on a weekend.” 

“Yeah, hopefully,” she shrugged, Marin sadly catching the small disappointment in her frown. 

“Hmm…” Alim was scrolling through his phone, “You guys want to go somewhere to grab food too, right?” 

“Duh,” Nina and Adrienne said in unison, giggling as they said, “Jinx! Double Jinx! You owe me a soda!” 

“Oh!” Marin brightened, “How about the street fair near the Jardins du Trocadéro? It’s apart of the Autumn Festival and they’ll be a whole bunch of art, music and other stuff to do.” 

“And food,” Alim agreed. 

Nina laughed, “That would be totally cool. What do you think, Adri?” 

“Sure,” she smiled, “You guys should come too.” 

Alim looked to Nina, “You wouldn’t mind us intruding on your girl time?” 

“Girl time? Nah, the more the merrier!” 

“Marin, you are coming? I'd rather not be the third wheel on this,” Adrienne grinned as she gestured at the couple. 

Marin rubbed the back of his neck, “I don’t know. I’ll have to check in with my dad.” 

“Oh come on, dude,” Alim gave him a pointed look, “You have to come. I’m sure your parents won’t mind.” 

Absently tracing circles on the countertop with his finger, Marin felt Adrienne’s eyes on him. He couldn’t say no, not when he could spend an entire afternoon with her! Although he felt a bit guilty leaving his father to work the bakery while his mother was still out, but it was a slow day. Then he remembered that he had patrol later this evening too, he didn’t want to leave Chat doing all the work again either… No, it wouldn’t be fair for them. 

“I have work, so… I don’t think I can tag along,” he regretfully shrugged his shoulders. His friends all gave apologetic looks, Alim silently pleading as he subtly nodded at Adrienne.

“That sucks, it won’t be as fun without you Marin,” Nina grabbed a cookie, “You sure, though?” 

“Yeah, man. You should totally for sure come along without a doubt,” Alim emphasized with meaningful look, again the in the direction of Adrienne. Even she looked like she wanted to protest.

He was just about affirming not being able to- knowing that if she pressed he’d drop his resistance in a second- when the front door swung open. Mrs. Dupain-Cheng walked in with bags in her arms, keys jingling. Marin rushed to take the groceries from her, smiling as he gave her a peck on the cheek. 

“Hi, Maman.” 

“Hello, Croissant,” she smiled up at him, making his ears turn red. 

“Maman!” he spoke in a low voice and nodded at his friends who were already giggling, “Not in front of them.”

She chuckled then looked at the other teenagers with her welcoming smile, “Hello all of you.” 

Alim stood up and gave her a side hug, “Hey, Sabine.” 

“Hello, ma’am,” Adrienne smiled politely. 

“Mrs. D-Cheng!” Nina grinned, “Love the keychain!” 

Sabine laughed softly, “My little crafter made it.” She gave the little beaded dragon a shake, Marin smiled as he started putting away the groceries. 

“Hey, Sabine, we’re going to one of street fairs in the city,” Alim wrapped an arm around Marin’s shoulders, “And we’re hoping we can have Marin for the rest of the day?” 

The girls nodded, looking to her hopefully. Marin sheepishly smiled at her too as she placed her hands on her hips, giving him a cocky look. 

“Young man, you did finish your chores?” 

“Yes, I did. Papa gave me a break just now when they came over.” 

“It is a slow day, so go ahead. I just want you back early in the evening for closing time.” 

“Thank you,” he kissed the top of her head, his friends happy to have him joining after all. 

“One more thing,” Sabine tapped his chest, “You have flour on your clothes. And on your cheek.” He rolled his eyes as she rubbed it off with her thumb. 

“Thanks, Maman,” he grinned, before taking the stairs two at a time to change, a bit embarrassed. Oh how did he not notice with Adrienne there? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrienne munched delightfully on the cookies, savoring the sweet chocolate. Oh, how could she have lived without these? Her mother rarely ever let her eat junk food- she had a strict diet being a model after all. But when Nina had first offered her snacks during break, she couldn’t decline and found out about all the food she’d missed out on. 

It’s true she’s self-conscious these days about her diet getting a little off, especially if her mother was going to scold her about her weight. Except, she did exercise, considering how much activity she does as Chat Noire. And Nina always gave such reassurance, that she wasn’t afraid to snack on sweets every once in a while. 

Especially from the Tom & Sabine’s Boulangerie Patisserie. Oh, how she loved Marin’s family bakery! 

“Goodness,” Nina gave her an incredulous look, “Did you really have to take a free sample from everything?” 

“Not from everything,” Adrienne protectively weighed the box stacked with different pastries and cookies in her hand, “You couldn’t fit a piece of all that beautiful food in one box.”

Nina only rolled her eyes as she leaned against the front window of the bakery, the girls and Alim (while checking for any news streams of the local superheroes on his phone) waited for Marin outside. 

“Besides,” she added, brushing crumbs from her shirt front, “Mr. Dupain-Cheng insisted I take some. And I did buy a few biscuits!” 

“You and that smelly cheese,” she shook her head, “And only because you were practically drooling over ‘some’ of the food.” 

“Har har, I don’t drool,” Adrienne raised her chin. 

“Oh yes, I forgot. Cats don’t drool, do they,” Nina teased, Alim looking up quizzically on the remark. 

“Inside joke,” they both said, before giggling. 

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes, sighing impatiently, “Marin always has to be late.” 

“No I don’t!” 

The boy stepped out, calling back a goodbye to his parents with a wave. Adrienne smiled softly at him; it was really endearing seeing shy Marin with his family. It was honestly such a sweet thing to witness a knit-tight family, especially the good-natured relationships they all held. 

“Ready?” Alim grinned as he swung an arm around his best friend.

Marin returned the grin, “For sure.” 

“Good,” Nina looped her arm through Adrienne and pumped a fist up, “Let’s go have some fun!” 

They laughed and began walking down the sidewalk. It was such a nice day, warm for autumn and Adrienne was glad she could wear her jean shorts if only for today.  
Flipping her hair down and letting her blonde tresses fall past her shoulders, free from her hair tie, Adrienne laughed as she skipped on ahead. She did a little twirl to look back at her friends who were all grinning at her. Well, before she caught Marin’s eye, making him drop his gaze to the floor.

“It feels so good to choose my schedule today after weeks of being on a tight to-do list!” 

“Ha,” Nina jabbed Alim in the side, “See, even she admits been overworked.” 

“Okay!” Adrienne laughed, “I admit I’ve been a bit too busy.” 

“I’ll gladly take that as admission.” 

Adrienne sighed, but she it was true she’d never confess how she truly felt about it. It was her mother after all; Gabrielle Agreste was only doing what was best for her daughter. 

From there, the afternoon was spent between bickering and joking around. Even Marin joined in on their antics as they made their way to the street fair. She was glad she wasn’t making him too uncomfortable; he was at least showing signs of warming up to her right now. He did always look away whenever she glanced in his way and seemed more interested in his shoes than with continuing on a conversation with her. 

Well, his shoes were pretty cool, she fancied to herself. They were slip-on canvas sneakers, yet there was something about the design that made them quite stylish. 

“I like your shoes,” she smiled at him, trying another attempt to talk as they followed behind Nina and Alim across the street to the square. 

“T-thank you,” he nervously hugged the strap of his satchel. “I made them.” 

Adrienne looked genuinely at him, “Really? Wow I knew you were amazing at designing your own clothes. Especially that really nice derby hat you made for the school contest. But even your shoes?” 

He sheepishly nodded, looking at her directly and said in mockingly proper, “I like to try my hand at the all the different attire of everyday wear. I admit though, that it took several tries before I was able to make proper functioning footwear.” 

She laughed, “But that’s still good! I always knew you were so talented.” 

At this, he blushed immensely his mouth stammering before closing altogether without another word. She gingerly smiled at him, expecting the response. At least she got him to talk a little more with her and even joke. 

“Oh hey! The street fair is that-a-way,” Nina pointed excitedly across to a large park next to the Seine and the Trocadero monument, already a parade of people in that direction.

“Hey guys,” Marin suddenly pulled his phone to his ear, “You can go ahead, I’ll catch up in a sec!” 

He dashed off in the direction of the square garden, leaving the others to circle around along the sidewalk to cross the intersection. The Trocadero gave them a great view of the Eiffel Tower from across the Seine. And next to it, the fair was lively with people. They could hear music over the rush of the passing cars from the fair, Nina nodding her head as she tapped her foot. 

“We better get something good to eat first,” she was saying to Adrienne who suddenly glanced to the center of the garden- finally noticed the tall equestrian statue. She recognized it to be none other than the Foch statue- Ladybeetle and Chat Noire’s secret message place. 

Her and Ladybeetle’s secret message place. 

Adrienne’s heart skipped a beat, glancing around like maybe he’d drop by just because she thought of him. Shaking her head, she instantly thought of checking the secret nook for any notes he might have left her. 

“Oh,” she pretended her phone had vibrated and pulled it to her ear before gesturing to her friends. “I have to take this call.” 

“Is it your mom or her assistant?” Nina worriedly mouthed. 

Adrienne, with a guilty twinge, nodded to her before turning to walk a distance from them, in the direction of the familiar statue. Carefully she leaned against it before stepping around to the back, closest to the hind hoof of the sculptured horse. 

“Oh!” 

“Sorry!” 

Marin and Adrienne bumped into each other, both jumping back. She easily smiled apologetically at him with her cellphone still at her ear, “My mother’s secretary has me on hold.” 

He nodded rapidly, as he stiffly walked around her, “Yeah, my mom wanted me to pick up some things she forgot to get.

“Uh, we’ll wait over there then,” he nervously then pointed his thumb over his shoulder before rushing away. 

Adrienne shrugged off his fidgety behavior and quickly continued to the rear of the statue. Looking around alertly and once satisfied no one was looking her way with the trees and bushes covering her from the street view- she lithely scaled to the top of the statue base. Discreetly, her fingers searched the little hidden nook beneath the bronze horse hoof. 

_Bingo,_ she slipped out the small note paper. 

And as fast as she had climbed up, she dropped down on balanced feet. Adrienne grinned as she looked around; glad no one had seen her before walking to a nearby bench.  
With eager hands, she unfolded the note and took in the message. 

Written in that familiar neat scrawl she always thrilled to see: 

 

**_I’ll try to make it to patrol- might be late. But just in case I can’t, I hope you don’t mind taking it. Sorry!  
~L.B._**

Although her happiness was a bit dampened at the notion of him missing patrol, she was still extremely glad that he left her a note. It was considerate of him- and her heart flipped- that he thought of her! 

She silently squealed on the inside, hugging the little scrap of lined paper to her chest. Then quickly she folded it nimbly before hiding it in zipped pocket inside her sports bag.

“Don’t you dare get your smelly cheese paws on that,” she whispered fiercely to Plagg, who was munching from the box of bakery treats. The cat fairy only ignored her, too busy with his Camembert biscuits. Adrienne was still surprised that the bakery actually sold biscuits with that stinkin’ cheese filling. 

She ripped the edge off of one of her blank notebook pages before deliberately writing out a reply. 

 

_**It’s fine, I’ll gladly cover for you. No need to apologize♥ See you later (if not sooner from an akuma attack)  
~Chat **_

 

She signed off with a little cat doodle, and with even more care she began folding it with precision without any accidental creases. Once again checking for anybody, she bounded up the statue and hid the note into the nook with inhuman agility. 

“That’ll do,” she dusted her hands with a satisfied smile, once her feet touched the ground again before lifting up her sports bag and running to her friends.  
“Sorry, I kept you guys waiting!” she jogged up to them. 

“No, it’s fine,” Alim slung his arm around Nina’s shoulders. 

Her best friend gave her a concerned look, “What’s up? What did she want?” 

“Oh,” Adrienne regretting her excuse earlier as she noticed the obvious concern from her best friend, “It was nothing, just checking in on when I’d make it to dinner.” 

Nina smiled with relief, “Good- I fought Cleo over you today and I sure as hell would have fought your mom for you too.” 

Adrienne gratefully smiled at her best friend, how lucky she was to have met her. “Thanks, Nina. You’re the best.” 

“I know,” she playfully stood taller with her cap straightened. 

“Oh, you’re modest,” Alim quipped, receiving a smack on the shoulder before Nina linked arms with Adrienne. 

Marin chuckled and Nina looped her other arm into his, sticking her tongue out at her boyfriend. 

“Hey,” Alim grinned and taking Marin’s arm as well. 

Adrienne giggled, “Come on, let’s get across!” 

They all laughed as they casually jogged to the other side of the street, a few cars blowing their horns at them. 

As soon as they got onto the other side, they entered the large crowd of fair-goers. Tourists in their khaki shorts and white tennis shoes, and the Parisian locals all milled along the park side. Booths and kiosks along with many stands and carts were lined beside the main paved pathway and spread out on the grass. All kinds of music played and mixed as you walked along; there were artists and crafters showcasing their creations. Several performers danced and played their instruments, while others did tricks like juggling and with cards. Families and couples, as well as groups of teens like them were enjoying the fair. 

Not to mention the trending colors of red and black polka-dots with the black and green displayed proudly throughout the fair. 

They were swallowed up into the crowd of people, Adrienne trying to make sense of all the sounds, smells and colors. If she had her cat ears, they’d be dancing in all directions. 

“Ooh,” she smelled the chocolate swirl of the ice cream stand, the fresh fruits and the sugary syrup nearby. “Let’s get some of that!” 

She pulled Nina toward the cart, Marin and Alim following as they pushed forward. They didn’t wait long as they all got a cup of the cold dessert, though feeling a bit of a chill on the cool day. 

“Let’s get one of those bracelets,” Nina gestured at one of the booths selling pretty handmade string accessories. 

“Why?” Alim asked as they inspected the different brightly colored bracelets. “Marin makes them even nicer- and his are free.” 

“Hey, who said they’re free?” he grinned, “But they are nicer, not to brag.” 

Adrienne laughed, seeing one of his rare moments of cheekiness. “Agreed. I still have mine.” 

She raised the lucky charm bracelet he had given her a while back. He stared at her wide-eyed before turning away with his cheeks flushed. Now that she thought of it, she’d worn it all the time. Alim smiled coyly between them, Adrienne still clueless. 

“I know,” Nina finally revived the conversation. “I just want something to remember the day. And don’t worry, Marin, we’ll buy some of your awesome stuff next time.” 

They all picked out a bracelet, Adrienne’s black with green stripes. Nina and Alim got a matching pair with a nice triangular design, and Marin picked out a red one with polka dots. 

“Ladybeetle,” she murmured as she inspected his. She suddenly felt him stiffen besides her, making her hesitantly add, “It seems to be the trend all around.”

“Oh- yeah!” he glanced around at the balloons and other merchandise being sold, the common design representing the colors of Paris’s superhero duo. 

Adrienne was used to seeing her model pictures on ads all over the city, so it was nothing new seeing all the attention Chat Noire was favored in. In fact, she liked it more since no one knew who she truly was in her civilian identity. 

A cold wind blew, making her shiver as she hugged the cold plastic cup of ice cream to herself and tugging her coat closer. They waded through the crowd as the sun started to inch down the sky above. They watched several performances; admired some artworks and such, and Alim bought Nina some cotton candy as they trailed on. 

“You sure you don’t want some?” Nina offered to Adrienne and Marin. 

“Nah,” Adrienne giggled, pointing at the pink and blue fluff on the tip of Nina’s nose. Alim chuckled and grabbed a napkin from his pocket before dabbing it away.  
“No thanks,” Marin laughed, still finishing his ice cream. 

Adrienne dipped her spoon for the last bit of ice cream, her eyes happily looking around. The street fair was crowded, so it was no surprise that they were bumped here and there. But Alim was suddenly jostled as they got close to a knot of people. 

A booth stood onto the side of the pathway, but it was surrounded as there seemed to be some kind of dispute going on. Two men were yelling, one of them in paint-splattered clothes was gesturing wildly at several paintings held up on stools. 

“They are authentic! How dare you question my skills and respectability as an artist!” 

The other young man had his arms crossed, looking disdainfully at a painting easel. The canvas of the painting had splotches of different colored paint, showing no apparent subject. Compared to the other displayed paintings, all which conveyed vibrant wild colored depictions of monuments around Paris, this was a kindergartener’s attempt. 

“Really? I paid for something like those- not a cheap mess,” the man spat.

The artist’s face turned tomato red, “Those are pieces done after hours. You paid for a painting done in 10 minutes! What did you expect?!”

“Something actually worth my damn money! I want a refund!” 

“Nonsense- what am I supposed to do with the paint and skills I wasted on you already?!”

The man sneered, “You can chuck it in the trash for all I care.” 

At this the artist looked like he was about to swing, several people pulling him back. 

“What’s going on here?” 

Finally an officer arrived, quickly taking the situation to understanding. He turned toward the artist, “Do you have a license?” 

“Of course, I do,” the artist correcting his crooked beret. 

“And a permit? Let me see, please.” 

At this the artist slowly pulled out the needed papers from his pocket, the officer assertively looking them over. He glanced between studying them and the owner, his eyes disapproving. 

“Your license is expired.” 

The artist’s face whitened, “Oh, no! I-” 

“And your permit is inapplicable to this location. Please, sir, you must remove your things and yourself off the premise.” 

“No! How?! My papers-”

“Again, they are against you on any rights for using this spot. And as for the problem over this painting-” 

Nina huffed as she pulled Adrienne away from the crowd, Alim and Marin at their heels. “We’ll let the authorities take care of that.” 

They could hear more yelling from behind them, Nina glancing accusingly at Alim, “I hope you didn’t try to film any of that.” 

“What? No! It’s not Ladybeetle or Chat Noire related,” he huffed, crossing his arms. 

Marin grinned, “Who knows, maybe Ladybeetle will show up to clear it up.” 

“Really? You think?” Alim twisted around, making them laugh as Nina strung him along before he scurried back. 

“It’s none of our business,” she shook her head with a bright smile. 

“Should we get some-” 

Adrienne was jostled against Marin as a large group separated them from Alim and Nina. “Are you okay?” 

He helped her by the arm, as they circled around past a few carts selling and yelling out their wares. 

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she smiled up at him, guessing the flush of his cheeks from the cooler late afternoon temperatures and ice cream. 

“Hey,” Nina linked her arm through Adrienne’s as they rejoined, “Damn swarm.” 

She only giggled, “What did you expect? People making a path for us like the red sea?” 

“Kinda. You are Adrienne Agreste; you’d expect people to notice.” 

Adrienne rolled her eyes; usually she hated anyone mentioning how her fame and being rich gave her benefits. Those benefits were no more than traps and pulled strings on her, hidden behind pleasantries. She preferred being treated like a normal person versus a pampered princess with so much expectations and people wanting to take advantage. 

“Where’s the trash?” she decided to ask in reply. 

“Um, I’ll throw it away for you.” 

Marin nervously smiled, offering to take her plastic cup and spoon. 

“Oh thanks,” she gratefully smiled at him. Their fingers brushed as he took her trash, somehow making him look even more uncomfortable as he scurried away. 

“Hmm,” she glanced at Alim and Nina, “Do you think he’s warming up to me? It’s been so long now, especially since it seemed like there were times we make progress. Yet he still looks so uncomfortable. Is Marin really that intimidated by me?” 

Alim and Nina looked at her with blank stares. Exchanging a look before answering together, “Really? You still think that?” 

“What?” she asked genuinely confused. 

“Girl, I always knew you were socially awkward sometimes when it came to these kinds of things since you were homeschool and blah blah. But really? Even now?” 

They paused besides an orange booth with blaring hip hop music, in view for Marin to see them. Adrienne crossed her arms as she looked at her friends with wide eyes. 

“What do you mean?” 

Alim sighed, Nina looking like she was about to slap herself. 

“Seriously, guys! What do mean? At least explain-”

Suddenly there was an outburst of screams and a large crash. Chaos ensued as the already bustling street fair took on a dangerous mess. People ran in all direction with panic filling the air. 

Adrienne pulled her friends behind a tree off the paved pathway. 

“What the hell!” Nina yelled, fear in her eyes as she gripped Alim’s arm. 

“Oh crap,” he had his phone out, already filming as in the distance, they saw a bright figure standing atop of the western Trocadero building. Another crash issued, and Adrienne was already steadily moving toward the source. 

She felt Nina’s arm on her wrist, “Where are you going?” 

Adrienne gave her a determined stare, “I have to make sure Marin’s okay. You guys stay near the tree and once the crowds thin a bit, it will be safe for you guys to leave. I’ll call you!” 

With that she jerked away, running in the direction of the obvious villain. A catty grin spread across her face as she got closer to the akuma. She dashed into a booth, ducking beneath a table and unzipping her sports bag. 

“Claws out, Plagg!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout-out to my beta reader, @Yaushibee! Thank you so much:3 
> 
> Just some notes to clear any confusion or just update:  
> -Cleo is the male equivalent of Chloe, yeah I know it sounds more like a girl's name but trust me, Marin will enjoy toasting him on that  
> -I just realized that my timing of the seasons is off considering the school year- they are a bit aged up as 16 y/o. SO basically they've been superheroes for over a year now. But this is an au and a fanfic, bear with me:D  
> \- I hope you don't mind the long chapter and *wink wink* the upcoming one will be dedicated to Lady/Noire  
> -Also I made an ML tumblr blog solely for ML including art, headcanons and my fanfic, talk to me there @chatnoirtrashgirl 
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> ~Z:)


	3. Paint Splatters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akuma butt-kicking! And LadyNoire, of course;)

Ladybeetle was not expecting this. You’d think he would be used to akuma attacks all the time, and to villains that came in every sort of strange variety after almost a year of fighting Hawkmoth. But this time- really?  


“Is that a bazooka? That shoots _paint_?!”  


Chat Noire incredulously said as she looked at the brightly colored villain from beside Ladybeetle. The now vibrant green and blue Trocadero standing testament to the crime gave him a twinge of anger at the sight of his favorite place vandalized.  


The akuma victim was standing atop of the Palais de Chaillot, the large weapon balanced on his shoulder as he took aim.  


Ladybeetle determinedly flung his yoyo and launched himself atop of the building. Now level with the akuma’s host, he got a good look at the man and recognized him.  
It was the artist from earlier who had been kicked out of the fair.  


“Of course,” he muttered under his breath as he, still undetected, crept behind the villain. This should be quick.  


“You know that’s considered vandalism.”  


Ladybeetle didn’t give the evilized artist time to turn around, wrapping his yoyo around one end of the bazooka gun and jerking it toward him.  


“Hey!” the akumatized artist yelped.  


The large bulk of metal skidded across the roof till Ladybeetle stopped it with his foot. “Also, do you have a license to carry this thing?”  


“The Splatter-Master will show you!” the villain bounded toward the superhero, just as Chat Noire cut him off.  


Shaking her head, she said, “Uh uh. No papers, no toys.”  


With that she tossed the man over her shoulder, flattening him onto his back. He immediately rolled to the side and grabbed paint pellets from his belt, hurling them at the superheroes.  


“Watch out!” Ladybeetle only managed to say as he ducked to the side.  


Chat Noire hissed as she dodged them almost completely. Ladybeetle knew he wasn’t as lucky as he felt the spray catch him multiple times.  


He rolled to a kneel, quickly looking to his partner as she slid to his side. “Are you okay?”  


“My hair!” she screeched, “Come on, again?!”  


Her usually wild blonde locks were now… the color of shamrock green with streaks of hot pink.  


He shrugged, “It looks fine.”  


She gave him an indignant look. Then a smirk spread across her face, “Can’t really say _half_ of that about you, my lord.”  


He cautiously glanced down at himself, feeling the wetness on a part of his face.  


“What the hell?!” he sputtered. Half of him was covered in a splash of _rainbow_ paint. Red and black polka dots on one side, rainbow colors on the other. He looked like half a clown.  


“Hope you like your make-overs,” the artist maliciously grinned at them, regaining their attention. He had retrieved his bazooka, the nozzle pointing toward them. “Let’s add the finishing touches, shall we?”  


Chat Noire and Ladybeetle didn’t waste a moment, both dashing in separate directions. The Splatter-Master swung around, his aim leveled at Ladybeetle. _I’m faster_ , he thought to himself spinning his yoyo.  


But then he slipped.  


“Whoa!” he slid across the roof thanks to the puddle of wet paint. He heard the trigger and tried to move away from the upcoming line of fire.  


“Oh no you don’t!” Chat yelled, jumping onto the villain’s back and making him lose his grip on the bazooka. Ladybeetle quickly regained his footing and reeled the damn weapon, dragging it towards the roof’s edge.  


Chat flipped backwards and leaped out of range of more paint bombs, so the villain turned toward Ladybeetle. He took advantage of his distraction and tossed more of those annoying pellets, forcing the hero to drop the bazooka again.  


“Ah ha!” the Splatter-Master retrieved his weapon and adjusted his crooked beret. Once it sat properly, his hand went back to the trigger.  


“Crap!” Ladybeetle ran out of the way. This was supposed to be a fast fight!  


“Jump!” Chat screamed as the bazooka fired.  


Ladybeetle threw himself off the building, his yoyo already hooked to a beam to lessen his fall. He cringed when he heard a large boom of splatter and glanced up to check the damage. Sure enough, paint was dripping down the side of the building in a bright orange hue.  


He dropped to the ground, landing on the wet marble stone of the Trocadero. This was turning out to be a lot messier than he hoped it would.  


“Ughh, this guy’s art skills are worse than a toddler’s,” Chat wrinkled her nose as she landed besides him. She looked alright, though now her black leather suit was speckled with orange. “It’s safe to say it looks like a catastrophe.”  


He gave her a sidelong look, “Not even going to complain about that one.”  


The superheroes tried to catch their breaths as they assessed the battle. The air stunk of the acidic fumes, and the whole area was a complete disaster of different pigments.  


Ladybeetle shook his head, “We can’t keep playing this game of back-and-forth with the bazooka.”  


“So,” she grinned at him, “Any guesses on where the akuma is?”  


He found himself grinning back despite the situation, entertaining her idea of a game.  


“My hunch is on the bazooka. Even if it isn’t, we should really get rid of it.”  


“That thing? How are we supposed to destroy it?” Chat twirled her baton, “We can’t very much stomp on it or snap it in half.”  


The Splatter-Master now stood at the edge of the roof, trying to aim his bazooka.  


“We’ll try to smash it by throwing it down from up there,” he answered, stepping into a run toward the building, “Quickly- it takes time to load it!”  


“On it!” she extended her baton like a javelin and launched herself atop of the museum. She came at the villain from the left and Ladybeetle on the right, both attacking from either side. The Splatter-Master used his weapon to block Ladybeetle’s advances, but unfortunately for him, Chat Noire showed her excellent skills with her baton as she came at him from behind.  


She slammed and swiped, forcing him to drop the heavy weapon and also kept him from grabbing his paint bombs. Ladybeetle took his chance, shoving the hefty bulk off the edge with a swift kick and watched it topple over.  


And with a satisfying crash, the bazooka hit the ground. Ladybeetle swung down after it, ready to de-evilize the akuma.  


“What the-?” The bazooka was busted, parts of it in pieces as it lay in the small crater it made upon impact. But there was no akuma. “Damn it!”  


It had to be something else of the artist’s. Gritting his teeth, he once again pulled himself to the roof. Ladybeetle gracefully climbed up, ready to finish this when suddenly a boom sounded, Chat Noire sailing right by him and off the edge.  


“Chat!” he yelled and with lightning movement he flung out his yoyo, the powerful string catching the shrieking girl by her boot. The jolting change of direction and weight would have sent both of them off the building if Ladybeetle hadn’t grounded his feet and wrapped some of the string around a statue on the ledge.  


Using her baton, Chat righted herself and returned safely back on the roof.  


“Thanks,” she breathed. Ladybeetle’s eyes widened at how she was now covered from head to toe in yellow, but he chose not to address it.  


“How the hell did you get thrown off like that?”  


He got his answer as the Splatter-Master cackled from his end of the roof, a new bazooka in hand and locked-on-target. “Ready for my next masterpiece?”  


Ladybeetle returned a nasty curse before diving off the building again. He grabbed Chat around her waist, holding them both as the hung. She held on close with her arms around his neck, her ears pulled back as a large ball of neon pink shot across the sky and directly at the Eiffel Tower.  


They gaped, with a reverberated blast, the Eiffel Tower now stood like a painful neon sign. Of hot pink.  


Ladybeetle swore under his breath as they continued to stare in exasperated shock. _At least it wasn’t as bad as cutting it in half._  


“First, I didn’t know you had such a dirty mouth,” Chat Noire broke their stunned silence and cocked an eyebrow, “Second, that bazooka just regenerated or something. So we need to get rid of the akuma ASAP. Third,”  


She nodded thoughtfully at the famous monument, “I always wondered how it would look in a different color.”  


Ladybeetle rolled his eyes, lowering them down to the ground. “Seriously, you’re admiring?”  


“What?” she still had her arms around his neck, “It’s a nice color, my lord.”  


She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, grinning devilishly as he swatted at her. “Paws off, kitty.”  


They ducked behind a wall, rethinking their game plan.  


“Hmm… the beret?”  


“The what?” he asked as he tried to scrape the sticky paint now flaking on his cheek.  


“His beret!” Chat repeated with more enthusiasm, “The akuma is in it! He was wearing it before he got akumatized!”  


“Of course!” it dawned upon him, but then he gave his partner a strange look. “How did you know that? You saw him before?”  


She nodded to his answer, peeking around the wall at the villain. The Splatter-Master was now perched at the edge of the roof, Chat ducked as he sent another flurry of paint balls towards their cover.  


“Those hurt like hell,” she muttered, “I’d rather not be fired at even if it’s just paint.”  


Ladybeetle was still staring at her bemusedly, “You… you were at the street fair?”  


She tilted her head to the side, “Yeah. I saw him there, though he got kicked out I think.” Then her eyes widened in realization, “Wait, you were there too?”  


_Too close._ He shook his head with a blank expression and glanced around to get a view of the villain, “I was in the area, passing.”  


“Oh.”  


The akumatized artist was busy shooting more giant paint balls at nearby buildings and the rest of the monument. Sure enough, there was the beret he had worn before, except now a vivid mix of colors.  


Ladybeetle turned to his partner with a spreading smile, “Ready to play a game of ‘don’t get hit’?”  


Chat grinned back, “And ‘who gets the akuma first’?”  
They both knew the plan in one look, bounding over the wall with luck on their side. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chat Noire zigzagged as she ran, the waxy ground only giving her more momentum.  


“Hold still!” the Splatter-Master kept hollering as he switched firing between the duo, his paint balls popping without hitting their target.  


She grinned as she skidded here and there, catching a flash of red and (she giggled) rainbow out of the corner of her eye. _Oh no, I’m winning this time Buggy!_  


With a smirk, she vaulted using her baton. She flew up, taking hold of a column and scaled it up to the top. She effortlessly lifted herself over the edge, her baton already shooting out and slamming into the villain.  


Ladybeetle had just smoothly landed on the roof, giving her a raised eyebrow before springing forward. At close range, the villain couldn’t use his bazooka, which Chat maintained by sending blow after blow. He desperately tried to hold his ground.  


From both sides, the akumatized artist tried to fend for himself with hurling the paint bombs. Ladybeetle easily shielded against the wretched pellets with his yoyo and Chat in turn parried them with her twisting baton. They quickly gained ground, moving in closer, ready to snatch the beret.  


“Aghh!” the Splatter- Master suddenly had his bazooka in hand and Chat barely kicked the heavy weapon from her direction in time.  


The villain was pushed back as his skewed aim sent the giant paint ball off at a nearby bridge. The blast splattered the Pont d'Iéna in an ombre color of green, the shades standing out rather nicely. They all stopped their attacks and looked at the bridge.  


“Ooh,” Chat Noire pointed, “Now that’s nice.”  


At this the Splatter-Master stood up and turned to admire as well, “Yes, yes. The colors really compliment the view with the water.”  


Chat nodded in agreement, “Yeah it does. Really great with the varying nuances to it.”  


“I know,” he exclaimed, “Imagine if they painted other parts of the city that way.”  


“Ooh, especially with vibrant colors. Like the Eiffel Tower!” She strolled over to the edge, one leg up on the ledge. “So hip and trendy!”  


“Exactly!”  


Ladybeetle stood off to the side with an exasperated expression as he watched the exchange.  


Chat then clapped her hands, “Oh oh! How about if you added a floral design!”  


“Hmm… it could work,” the villain rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He hoisted his bazooka on his shoulder, aimed, and… boom!  


“Niiice,” she drawled out, approving of the hot pink Eiffel Tower’s new decorative green design.  


“Thank you!” the Splatter-Master puffed out his chest. “Finally, someone who appreciates the arts!”  


“Of course! Your taste and style is so cultivated,” Chat praised, “What else can you your artistic talent extends to?”  


She then looked to her partner with a pointed look and winked at him. He snapped out of his stupor and quickly understood what she was doing.  


“Uh yes, you’re really amazing at it! Please, do show us more,” Ladybeetle quickly nodded.  


Chat continued to watch as the Splatter-Master moved his bazooka to the ledge. The man was obviously very proud to have his talents noticed and had easily let his guard down.  


“Such wonderful use of complementary colors,” she gushed, weakening his perception with flattery.  


“Agreed. Why were we even fighting?” Ladybeetle carefully moved closer as he spoke loudly and then gave her the signal, “Ah, yes I remember.”  


Chat grinned as she raised her hand, “Cataclysm!”  


“Lucky Charm!”  


They both moved in sync, their special powers activated. Before the Splatter-Master could get past his startle, she touched the bazooka and watched it corrode just as Ladybeetle moved in.  


He had a spray paint can in hand, quickly blinding the akumatized artist in order not to fight back.  


“Sorry. As much as I’d like to bask in your artistic glory- it’s still vandalism.”  


The Splatter Master yelled as he tried to get the liquid off his face and ended up tripping over the ledge. Ladybeetle swiftly shot his yoyo, catching the man around the ankles. Chat leaned down to watch as the man struggled, hanging upside down. Then with her tail swinging she glanced back at Ladybeetle.  


“LB?”  


Her partner was quizzically searching the ground below.  


“Looking for something?” she grinned as he turned to her, spinning the beret on the tip of her claw. “I win?”  


He snorted with a smile, “Fine.”  


Chat tossed him the beret as she ripped it in half, the little black butterfly fluttering out.  


With a flourish, he caught it within his yoyo. “Gotcha, little butterfly. Now I free you from evil!”  


Releasing it, the butterfly flew out in a pure white color. Chat smiled softly as she watched him wave goodbye to it and continue on with his cleansing ritual.  


“Miraculous Ladybeetle!” he threw the lucky charm high up.  


As always, in awe, Chat admired the powerful miraculous power as it washed over the area. The power of creation restoring the city from the akuma’s meddling mess. The paint disappeared in the flash of light. Including what was staining them, although her hair still felt sticky and clumped.  


The duo turned to each other and pumped their fists together, “Pound it!”  
They laughed, glad that their work was done. Below, safely on the ground, the possessed artist returned to normal- looking around in a daze.  


“Hmm… I kinda liked the paint job,” Chat twirled her baton.  


Ladybeetle rolled his eyes and turned to inspect his work with a satisfied nod. “Nah, I like my favorite place as it is.”  


“The Trocadero is your favorite?’ she gave him a curious look. She was a bit surprised he said that, he was usually tight-lip on anything remotely close to their secret identities.  


He bit his lip, likely realizing he’d let it slip out involuntarily. Chat uncomfortably scuffed the heel of her boot on the ledge- _he still doesn’t trust me enough to say more._  


“Anyways,” her ring beeped; giving an opening to escape the moment. “I think this cat’s job is done here.”  


Ladybeetle awkwardly smiled at her, “Same. Uh, I don’t really think I’ll make it to patrol tonight. You won’t mind-?”  


She smiled at him, knowing what he meant, “Of course not. I already found your note, by the way. Although, I suppose if you can’t make it…”  
Chat flicked her tail, “I’ll just have to stop by several places to grab snacks. Like our ice cream place, and I’ll have the special sundae today all for me.”  


He laughed, “Hey, you know I love stopping by Rowling’s Ice Cream. I’ll try to make it of course- I always do.”  


She chuckled, “For me? Or for the ice cream?”  


Ladybeetle pretended to contemplate the matter with difficulty, “Hmm… that’s a tough question.”  


Chat crossed her arms, tossing her hair in with an offended mock expression, “Bugaboo, how can you say that!”  


He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. That gorgeous hair she always loved, she wondered just how silky it was.  


His earrings and her ring beeped at the same time again, signaling how short their time together was.  


“I’ll see ya then,” she looked at him genuinely, her words certain.  


He blinked at her for a moment before nodding with one of those heart-string-pulling smiles of his, “I’ll come. If I don’t, lunch is on me on the weekend patrol.”  


“Sounds good!” Chat’s ears perked up, her feet still putting up resistance.  


"Great work again, smart to trick the akuma."  


"Why thank you, my lord," she bowed with a flourish, making him grin. 

He began spinning his yoyo, ready to leave before glancing at her, “Oh, sorry about your hair.”  


His bright blue eyes were so sincere. She felt her heart flutter, her words almost stumbling out of her mouth.  


“Nah, it’s fine,” she flashed him a grin as she stepped up onto the ledge, “I’m more sorry about your suit- shame you couldn’t keep the rainbow style. It suited you.”  


Chat laughed as she swiftly jumped off, dodging his aimed yoyo.  


“Bye, Buggy!” she blew a kiss to him as she balanced.  


With her baton, she used it like a pogo-stick and threw herself back in the direction of the street fair. Glancing back, she saw he was already gone as the news reporters arrived too late to get a scoop from the heroes.  


She quickly hid behind a row of tents without anyone seeing her and de-transformed.  


“Ughh, let’s go home!” Plagg immediately complained.  


Adrienne sighed heartily, now back in her civilian form. “He remembered how distressed I was about my hair! He actually apologized even if it wasn’t his fault.”  


Plagg groaned and replied to her in a mockingly high voice, “ _And oh! How sweet and considerate of him! Ladybeetle- so handsome and goodhearted! How could he ever notice little naive me?_ ”  


She glared at him, “I don’t say stuff like that.”  


“Really? Because that’s all I hear when you talk about him.”  


“And all I hear coming out of you is, ‘ _Cheese, oh cheese my beloved. Camembert, where else would I be without you. Be still my hungering stomach._ ”  


The cat kwami only glowered at her before settling down on her shoulder, “Well, at least I admit I say things like that.”  


Adrienne glanced at him and began chuckling before ducking under the booth she had left her sports bag earlier. She found her things and zipped open her bag for her kwami. Plagg flew in, immediately munching on the rest of the biscuits from Marin’s family bakery.  


“Marin! Oh crap- I don’t where he is!” she quickly zipped up her bag and dashed out. People were leaking back into the street fair, laughs and music filling the air as if the akuma attack hadn’t happened in the first place.  


She had meant to find him as Chat Noire, but she had seen Ladybeetle before she could find her friend. Now, she turned on her phone, telling herself he’d be okay. Frantically she called her best friend, Nina picking up on the second ring.  


“Are you okay?!” Nina practically screamed, “I’ve been trying to reach for twenty minutes!”  


“I’m fine,” Adrienne nervously laughed, “Where are you guys?”  


“We’re coming back to the street fair, Alim and Marin just ran ahead to find you. Where were you?”  


“Wait- Marin is with you?”  


“Yeah. Girl, are you-“  


Losing the rest of Nina’s words, Adrienne sighed with relief as she weaved through the crowd of people. Her heart stopped pounding. Why was it even pounding? She wasn’t sure why she was so worried about him. Of course he’d be fine, her and Ladybeetle had taken care of the akuma. Marin was fine, her friends were all okay.  


Yet, she had been worried.  


“I’m good,” she answered her friend’s concerned questions, “I was actually able to see Ladybeetle and Chat Noire in action.”  


“What? You were that close? Alim is gonna attack you on some info,” she heard her best friend laugh, “You dummy, you went looking for Marin and instead ended up lost.”  


Adrienne walked off the pathway and stood off on the grass between two trees with strung up lights. Evening was just arriving as the sun sank low, the sky becoming a canvas of reds, purples and oranges. She hugged herself as she listened to Nina recount what a hassle it was when people tried to clear the area during the attack, and her trying to keep Alim from rushing off to get footage.  


“Adrienne!”  


She suddenly turned around and saw a tall figure familiar in a way only to her as he pushed through the crowd. The light flashed against his dark hair and blue eyes. Her heart fluttered for a moment. _Is that-?_  


But then Marin tripped, falling flat on the grass. His satchel flopped on the floor as Alim rushed up from behind.  


“Dude! Are you okay?”  


Adrienne snapped out of her reverie- cursing her running imagination- and hurried to her friends. “Marin? Are you alright?”  


Alim pulled him up and helped dust off the grass from his best friend’s clothes. She held out the satchel for him and he took it sheepishly from her.  


“Thanks,” he mumbled.  


She smiled at him, “Of course. Are you sure you’re fine?”  


“Yeah,” he nodded with wide eyes before looking at her worriedly, “Are _you_ okay?”  


“Yeah,” she laughed, “I may have gotten lost while looking for you, but I’m really fine.”  


Marin gave her a relieved smile; Alim snickered as he clasped his shoulder.  


“She’s okay. It’s not like she was the one who just ate it.”  


He received a smack for that remark.  


Laughing they all walked back to find Nina. Alim further pestered Adrienne for details on what she saw- of course she obliged with enough to satisfy. Well, as best as anyone can do when it came to Alim.  


She glanced at Marin, who kept looking in her direction but always turned his eyes away. Tempted to laugh, Adrienne wondered what could have made her think, that for a moment, it was Ladybeetle coming toward her back there. She shook her head amused at her crazy imaginings.  


“You guys wanna have dinner at the pizza place on the corner? We kinda did miss our fun a bit here, so we should get dinner,” Nina talked to them through the phone as they finally spotted her.  


Adrienne waved to her over the crowd with a loud “Yes!”  


The teenagers regrouped and walked on as the day seeped away with the sun below the city scape. The sky was a darkening blue, but Paris only lit up brighter. And Adrienne’s smile did too at the thought of seeing Ladybeetle soon.  
It was a wonderful day, and hopefully so would the night be.  


“Dudette, your hair,” Nina was frowning as she stared.  


Adrienne gave her a quizzical look, “My hair? What’s wrong?”  


“Not to freak you out or anything, but it looks like you got some paint residue in it.”  


“Oh!” she began giggling, “I was a bit too close, I suppose.”  


Alim raised an eyebrow, “I kinda thought you’d overreact about that.”  


“Why?” she smiled at them as they crossed the street, “Because I’m a model? My face isn’t everywhere to the point I’d get called out on it in public.”  


They just happened to pass a perfume advertisement of hers, they all laughed at the coincidental moment.  


“Actually, yes, Miss Perfection. I’d rather not have your mother think you can’t even stay clean around me.”  


She rolled her eyes, but suddenly stood straighter at the whiff of cheesy pizza and warm dough. Her mouth was watering, “I want a lot of toppings on mine!”  


The teenagers grinned and began discussing what to order as they entered the pizzeria.  


“Adri, by the way, we aren’t ordering pizza with Camembert cheese. I will never understand your appetite for that.”  


Adrienne felt Plagg bounce angrily in her sports bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To my beta reader @Yaushibee- THANK YOU AGAIN, THE STORY ALWAYS LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER WITH YOUR HELP
> 
> Uh sorry for a bit of a delay on uploading it, I was actually done writing out the chapter and it was going through the editing phase, but I also was completely offline over the weekend. I went camping, and let's just say it was fun even though I think I might have refractured my ankle...
> 
> Okay, I had some great fun writing this out. LadyNoire<3 
> 
> Btw- it may seem a bit messed up that lol LB sprayed the akuma in the face with paint, but he didn't really blind him (I mean he would obviously be fine after the Miraculous Ladybugs clean everything up) you're usually fine if you accidently spray your face with paint- just make sure to rinse your eyes and everything. Though you should totally go to the doctors to check...  
> And in a way, it was payback. (LB in a rainbow suit is really funny to imagine) Seriously though, lesson of the story- Don't get caught doing vandalism peeps
> 
> ~Z:)


End file.
